Pain Clinic in Brooklyn, NY — Anyone suffering from chronic pain can now head to Spine Sports & Interventional Pain Medicine, P.C. in Brooklyn, New York for specialized pain care and injury treatment. The pain …

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a procedure that is becoming pretty popular in effective treatment for pain relief. Dr. Michael Monfett of Skyline Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation one of many New York pain doctors specializing in Platelet-Rich …

Pain Clinic in Brooklyn, NY — Anyone suffering from chronic pain can now head to Spine Sports & Interventional Pain Medicine, P.C. in Brooklyn, New York for specialized pain care and injury treatment. The pain management clinic in Brooklyn, New York, is located at 186 Montague St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 which is on the 3rd floor of the building, is now accepting new patients.

The pain clinic, which is part of the MSR pain and injury network, is offering the services as an expansion of the Pain Management Center for patients Brooklyn, New York.

“This full service pain center in Brooklyn, NY,” says Dr. Sanjeev Agarwal, the medical director at the Spine Sports & Interventional Pain Medicine, P.C. pain center. The facility sees 100’s of patients monthly. Many of those people come from Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, NYC and New Jersey.” he said.

“We were thrilled that Dr. Sanjeev has joined our “doctors dedicated to healing” pain physicians network,” said a representative at Musculoskeletal Resources pain and Injury. “He is specially certified in pain management and extraordinary physician. We know there is a demand for pain management in Brooklyn, NY.”

The MSR network of pain management doctors is growing throughout New York, as the local demand for pain management services and injury rehabilitation grows.

The community will be thrilled to know that Dr. Sanjeev Agarwal with Spine Sports & Interventional Pain Medicine, P.C. offers comprehensive pain management. Dr. Sanjeev Agarwal through a thorough evaluation, gets to know (the patient’s) history, see what’s worked and failed,” and from there will devise an individualized pain management treatment.

If you were injured in an auto accident, work injury, sports injury, get quality medical care today. For more information on Dr. Sanjeev Agarwa and Spine Sports & Interventional Pain Medicine, P.C. is available by calling 1-800-949-6100 at https://www.painandinjury.com

Low back pain gets wrong treatments.

The US is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. If you or someone you know needs help, effective treatment is available and can save lives.

“More than half the total number of people taking opioids long-term have low back pain,” the report notes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says opioid overdoses went up 30 percent between 2016 and 2017. Opioid overdoses kill around 35,000 people a year, the CDC says.

Many patients with chronic pain need some type of relief and turn to opioids for care. The wrong type of care.

Pain Doctors in New York want to relieve their patients pain. Pain does not need to be addressed by using opioids. These board certified pain specialists help patients reach effective pain resolution after trauma (Slip and fall, car accident, sports injury, work injury, etc …). Every patients situation is different and chronic pain management treatment needs to be individualized.

Lower back pain costs 3 million years of productive life every year in the U.S. — a calculation that takes into account both people affected and how long their pain keeps them out of work.

Studies show what works best to treat lower back pain: physical therapy, psychological counseling, stretching, massage and other non-invasive treatments. Rest rarely helps: all patients should be urged to stay active.

If you or someone you know needs help, effective treatment is available and can save lives. 1-800-949-6100

Resources:

Relax. You Do Have Options https://www.painandinjury.com/effectivetreatment/treatmentoptions/default.html

Low Back Pain Is Common

Have you recently been injured at work, slipped or fallen, been a victim in a car accident? Are you experiencing chronic pain or discomfort in your lower back? Is your sleep interrupted, tossing and outrunning all night long? Does a poor night’s rest from back pain equal a hard day at work with aches and pain? Does your job require you to lift heavy objects?

If you answered yes to any of these questions your pain in you lower back is signaling that something is terribly wrong. Lower back pain can be caused by any number of reasons. Lower back pain is one of the most common health issues impacting Americans every year. That’s where pain management treatments can give hope to many low back pain suffers.

Causes of back pain:

lifting a heavy object

a sports injury

car crash

Most people at some point in their lives will experience some lower-back pain. Pain can range from mild to severe. Most of the time, Low Back Pain is acute (short term) and caused by overuse, injury, or poor body mechanics when lifting heavy objects.

Acute pain is usually caused by muscle strain in the lower back. If the pain is from damage to the lower back structures, such as the vertebral discs, chronic pain can develop.

Structural damage in the lower back (lumbar spine) may include: the vertebrae (bony spine), facet joints, vertebral discs, ligaments, spinal cord and peripheral nerves, and internal organs in the pelvis.

Treatment for Lower Back Pain A Phone Call Away: 1-800-949-6100

Commonly-Reported Pain Conditions

A National Institute of Health Statistics survey indicated that low back pain was the most common (27%), followed by severe headache or migraine pain (15%), neck pain (15%) and facial ache or pain (4%).

Back pain is the leading cause of disability in Americans under 45 years old. More than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20-64 experience frequent back pain.

Adults with low back pain are often in worse physical and mental health than people who do not have low back pain: 28% of adults with low back pain report limited activity due to a chronic condition, as compared to 10% of adults who do not have low back pain. Also, adults reporting low back pain were three times as likely to be in fair or poor health and more than four times as likely to experience serious psychological distress as people without low back pain.

The majority of the time, Low Back Pain is acute and resolves within four weeks. Pain symptoms can usually be treated at home with ice packs the first 48 hours, no more than 15 minutes at a time, and later heat.

Low Back Pain can be an indicator of a serious condition. Immediate medical attention is advised for severe pain, if other symptoms such as, high fever, numbness and incontinence are present; or if the pain symptoms don’t resolve within four weeks.

Seeing a pain management doctor, not just any doctor, after an injury that causes pain in your lower back is the right choice. Patients are starting to understand the advantages that can come from seeing a pain management doctor when deciding on treatment for lower back pain.

Many patients admit that they thought all doctors were the same. They never imagined that there were back pain specialists with treatments that effectively treat the discomfort of lower back pain.

Speak with a New York back pain doctor nearest you. Most of the locations offer flexible weekend and evening hours, which can accommodate your schedule.

Lower Back Pain Is More Common Than You Think.

Resources

Doctors Who Treat Back Pain! Pain and Injury in News – http://painandinjury.com/blog/2014/04/07/doctors-who-treat-back-pain/

MS Pain Explained – The Connection To the Spine

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves. MS affect the entire body. Aches in your bones, joints, and muscles. Burning pain in the feet, legs, arms, hips. Finding the right physical therapist to help someone with MS can be a challenging.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks on the spine has a predilection for the cervical spinal cord (67% of cases), with preferential, eccentric involvement of the dorsal and lateral areas of the spinal cord abutting the subarachnoid space around the cord. Approximately 55 to 75% of patients with MS have spinal lesions at some point during the course of the disease.

For those with MS pain below the level of spinal cord involvement and sexual problems were the greatest complaints, even when there were motor difficulties in the limbs. Spinal cord pain is typically excruciating and often shoots down the spine or to the limb that is involved due to spinal cord damage.

MS Pain? Consider Seeing a Physiatrist?

What is a Physiatrist? Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) doctors, also known as physiatrists, treat medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

PM&R physicians are medical doctors who have completed training in the specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), and may be subspecialty certified in Brain Injury Medicine, MS, Spinal Cord Injury, Pain Management or any other number of neurological related conditions. The role of a Physiatrist is to intersect between all the specialists related to your condition.

Physiatrist have the ability to recommend specialists on areas such as neurology, urology, pain management, rehabilitation and more. They can easily identify areas that I might want to focus on and have excellent medical professionals to refer you to.

Physiatrists can make life changing recommendations on how to manage pain. If you find yourself frustrated that your physician is too specific to their specialty, you may want to consider seeing a Phystriast. Just reach out to your local injury and pain rehabilitation clinic. They will be able refer you to a pain specialist in MS.

“Examples of nerve pain include painful sensations in the side of the face, called trigeminal neuralgia, and a tight feeling, often around the chest, called the MS hug. Pain in the limbs is very common.”

Pain | MS Trust
https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/pain

Pain doctors helping patients develop a pain management plan

The Human Nervous System

The human nervous system consists of two distinct parts: the first being the central nervous system (CNS) which refers to the brain and spinal cord together and the second is the peripheral nervous system (PNS) which refers to the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral nerve trunks leading away from the spine to the limbs.

Motor nerves – These nerves control your movements and actions by passing information from your brain and spinal cord to your muscles.

Sensory nerves – These nerves relay information from your skin and muscles back to your spinal cord and brain. The information is then processed to let you feel pain and other sensations.

Nerve pain and nerve damage can be mild. But, because nerves are essential to all you do, nerve pain and damage can seriously affect your quality of life.

Therapy For Loss of Function

Commonly experienced permanent neurological deficits resulting from TM may include severe weakness, spasticity (painful muscle stiffness or contractions), or paralysis; incontinence; and chronic pain. Such deficits can substantially interfere with a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities such as bathing, dressing, and performing household tasks.

Many forms of long-term rehabilitative therapy are available for people who have permanent disabilities resulting from TM. Rehabilitative therapy (physical therapy used to alleviate sources of chronic pain)teaches people strategies for carrying out activities in new ways in order to overcome, circumvent, or compensate for permanent disabilities.

Today, most rehabilitation programs attempt to address the emotional dimensions along with the physical problems resulting from permanent disability. Patients typically consult with a range of rehabilitation specialists, who may include physiatrists (physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation), physical therapists, occupational therapists, vocational therapists, and mental health care professionals.

Structure of the Nervous System:
web.mst.edu/~rhall/neuroscience/02_structure_and_pharmacology/structure.pdf

Experts usually describe pain caused by MS as musculoskeletal, paroxysmal or chronic neurogenic. Musculoskeletal pain can be due to muscular weakness, spasticity and imbalance. It is most often seen in the hips, legs and arms and particularly when muscles, tendons and ligaments remain immobile for some time. Nov 10, 2016

MS is the most common inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) in humans. Between 50 and 100 per 100,000 Caucasians (lower in other ethnic groups) are afflicted with this disease, and women are afflicted more than men at a ratio of about 2:1. Onset usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Clinical features of MS include alterations in vision, sensory and motor disturbances and cognitive impairment.

Pain
https://www.my-ms.org/med_symptom.htm

Pain is an under appreciated symptom of MS. Over half of MS patients complain of pain and, in a substantial fraction, the pain is described as severe, at least at times. MS-related pain can be experienced as jolts of electricity, continuous dull burning, disagreeable tingling, or raw sensations. An improved understanding of the mechanisms that produce pain of central origin has produced several successful approaches to its management, including the anticonvulsant drugs, the antidepressant drugs, or the anti-arrhythmic drugs. If these treatments are unsuccessful, some patients may respond to a comprehensive pain management program.

Spine specialists New York doctors providing non-surgical treatment plans for back pain, neck pain, from spinal cord injury. MS: Find-out The Benefits of Engaging a Physiatrist.

Spine Injury – MS: Benefits of Seeing a Physiatrist

Spinal Cord Damage & InjuryThe spinal column is made up of 33 vertebra and protects the spinal cord from injury. If these bones are broken or damaged, paralysis isn’t necessarily the result once the bones are stabilized. Therefore, a person may break his or her back or neck without suffering paralysis. It’s when the damage reaches the spinal cord that serious, long-term or permanent effects often result. The extent and region of the body affected by this damage depends upon the region of the spinal cord that is injured.The spinal column and spinal cord consist of four regions, with each region controlling a particular part of the body. These regions can be categorized even further into 31 pairs of peripheral spinal nerves. These nerve pairs extend from the spinal cord through spaces in the vertebra, connecting the spinal cord with other nerves throughout the PNS. In general, the higher the spinal cord is injured, the more severe the injury. The regions of the spine are numbered in descending order from the brain.

Cervical Region (C1 to C8)
Located in the neck, this region controls the back of the head, the neck, shoulders, arms, hands, and diaphragm

Thoracic Region (T1 to T12)
This region is located in the upper back and controls the torso and parts of the arms

Upper Lumbar (L1 to L5)
Located in the middle of the back just below the ribs. The upper lumbar region controls the hips and legs

Sacral Segments (S1 to S5)
Just below the upper lumbar region in the middle of the back. This region controls movement in the groin, toes, and some parts of the leg

Tendonitis (A condition in which the tissue connecting muscle to bone becomes inflamed.)

Tendon injuries (shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle injury)

Tennis elbow (An irritation of the tissue connecting the forearm muscle to the elbow.)

Platelet-rich plasma ( PRP ) injection

The procedure usually takes about an hour and most of the time is separating the platelet-rich plasma from your blood sample. The procedure is performed with the patient awake. The PRP may be injected with a numbing agent.

The procedure is performed by drawing blood from a patient, placing it in a centrifuge (a machine with a rapidly rotating container that applies centrifugal force to its contents, typically to separate fluids of different densities.) to separate the platelets from the rest of the blood components. The concentrated Platelets are tiny blood cells are then directly injected into the injured area of tissue.

The “rich” platelets contain multiple growth factors that can stimulate new tissue growth. Some of these factors include transforming growth factor, connective tissue growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and vascular growth factor. These growth factors recruit new cells to the area to stimulate healing.

Ask About Platelet Rich Plasma Injections

Pain Doctors1.800.949.6100
Over 30 Locations in New York / New Jersey
Call for one closest pain specialist to youWebsite

Physiatrypain medicine

The history of Physiatry ( physicians specializing in physical medicine; residencies or fellowships in PM&R) dates back to 1946 in the World Wars era. Injured soldiers returning from active duty traumatic injuries such as spinal cord injuries, amputation, fractures, etc…

The Physiatry specialty was developed to enable doctors to identify their patients’ physical impairments and functional disabilities and then rehabilitate them back to improved functional independence, restoring them to healthy, productive lifestyles. Today, physiatry is used to treat patients suffering spinal cord injury, fractures, and chronic pain from work injuries, car accidents, and sports injuries.

How do we find PMR physiatrists who are board certified by the American Academy of Physical Medicine (AAPMR) and Rehabilitation and the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM&R). Well these specialty doctors are located throughout the United States. You just need to know what to look for. New York & New Jersey pain specialists practicing acute and chronic pain management acn be searched by accessing painandinjury.com. Pain and Injury Doctors Musculoskeletal Resources (MSR) provides doctors specializing in sports medicine, physical therapy and rehabilitation, neck and back pain relief, carpal tunnel syndrome, work and auto-related injuries including disability assessment.

For more information on physiatry, visit www.painandinjury.com to begin living a pain free life. Physiatry, offers non-surgical treatments for pain. Physiatry is broken down into three major areas of medical care: diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and pain syndromes, electrodiagnostic medicine, and rehabilitation of patients with severe impairments. Physical therapy requires educating patients on how to utilizing proper exercises designed to improve posture, coordination, and stamina to avoid injury, as well as prescription medication management and interventional injections (Injections—also called nerve blocks—work to provide temporary pain relief) for chronic pain syndromes.

CHRONIC PAIN IS REAL. YOUR NOT ALONE!

“My visit to the pain doctor today was disappointing. He said he could do the steroid block on my neck where the disk and the Spine was narrowing at c6-c7 but he couldn’t promise it would take away the pain. Frustrated, I cried. It’s hard for doctors to understand how someone can be in pain for 30 years. They don’t get it. I’ve been on hydrocodone for 15 years. He told me the best thing to do is to get off them bc he wasn’t prescribing pain meds. I Have severe fibromyalgia and CFS also. What good is a pain doctor that doesn’t prescribe pain meds? Now what are my choices ? Surgery is not an option unless the disks ruptures. What do I do? Who do I see?” Tina

As in Tina’s case, chronic pain is defined as a pain that has lasted more than three months.

DIAGNOSING PAIN

X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, diagnostic injections or blocks are used by pain specialists in order to identify what’s causing an individuals pain. Interventional injections and blocks can be diagnostic and therapeutic at the same time. Doctors will use an EMG, to obtain information about the muscles and nerves in the body when diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome, a pinched nerve, radiculopathy, sciatica, neuropathies, and muscle diseases.

MSR Resources serving the east coast (NY/NJ) provides information on pain specialists that offer many procedures, that including epidural injections, facet blocks, Botox, trigger point injections, and electrodiagnostic testing. Their mission is to treat patients with trigger point injections, pinpointing muscular pain. If this don’t in treating pain, the next step would be to assess whether or not the pain is coming from a joint by performing diagnostic and therapeutic facet block injections. If the patients report pain relief then procedures like epidural injections would be considered suggesting disc or nerve related problems.

THE EXAM – WHAT TO EXPECT

New patient consultations begin with reviewing the patients medical history and an examination. Dr. Michael Monfett, MD – Pain Specialist in New York will discuss the patient’s concern’s, diagnose the pain then suggest a treatment plan for that specific patient.

Brooklyn pain specialist Dr. David Delman specializes in treating traumatic injuries caused by car accidents or work-related injuries, is no stranger to performing independent medical evaluations? Dr. Delman one of New York’s top pain doctors provides patients with a work status evaluation.

Patients will find New York pain specialists like Dr. Stella P. Mansukhani, MD. in Washington Heights, NY pleasant by nature, compassionate along with a caring staff that recognizes the importance of making ensuring patients are comfortable, and relaxed. Dr. Mansukhani is the kind of physician who treats her patients with sensitivity, educating them on the available treatments that will allow a healthier pain free life. #painfreelife

Injury To Recovery A Ballerinas Story

Most athletes, dancers, will in their careers will face both physical, emotional strains, and possible injury, in their chosen professions.

Take acclaimed ballerina Wendy Whelan who in 2013 underwent reconstructive surgery. Whelan, who was 46 at the time, feareing that she would never dance again. But after months of injury rehabilitation and physical therapy, she returned briefly to the company she had danced with for more than three decades.

Whelan took her final bow with the New York City Ballet in October 2014. Now, nearly three years after leaving ballet, Whelan continues to perform contemporary dance. She says she feels liberated in her new life: “I’ve been strapped in — physically strapped in to pointe shoes, strapped into a leotard and tights, my hair’s been strapped up — for my whole entire life. … I was terrified to be unconstricted, and now I don’t know another way I’d rather be.”

Wendy Whelan danced with the New York City Ballet for three decades. Read about her injury to recovery.

The documentary Restless Creature chronicles Whelan’s injury to recovery and final performance with her company.

Interview Highlights

On the hip injury that hastened her retirement from ballet

It came out of nowhere, literally came out of nowhere. I slipped, ironically, on Sept. 11, 2012, and I knew something had happened. It was the smallest slip, but I felt it deep in the back of my hip hamstring area. And I thought … I pulled my hamstring; I didn’t imagine it would be a tear.

Hamstring injuries are very common in athletes. Acute hamstring strains can occur with high-speed running or with excessive hamstring lengthening. … The article focuses on diagnosis, treatment and return to play considerations for acute hamstring strains and proximal hamstring tendinopathy in the athlete.

I couldn’t do certain dances that season. I did some. I didn’t do the ones that I was really well known for and wanted to do. And I waited a few months, didn’t stretch it, still danced at a certain level, and within three months I couldn’t close fifth position. Fifth position, if you don’t know ballet, is the base of ballet. It’s the most basic position that everything moves from, and I literally couldn’t do that. So that was a big shock.

I tried everything. I tried acupuncture. I was going to therapy. I tried massage, everything you can imagine — I had injections, MRIs. And then the MRI came back and said there was inflammation in my hip, so I had my hip drained. The doctor also did an ultrasound and he said, “I see a complex labral tear.” … It was there forever; I just didn’t know it until it was discovered, and it had gotten to a place where it was needing to be fixed. … Eight months later I was on the operating table getting reconstructive surgery.

On choosing to document the end of her ballet career

Wendy Whelan tells of her decision to document the end of her ballet career as being complicated, confusing, exposing her vulnerability. But as filming began Wendy was all on board with the project. She came to like the footage, the directors, filmmakers, especially the cameraman. He had done dance films before, and knew exactly how to move in the studio, following Wendy closely..

The documentation of Wendy’s story turned into a supportive thing, pushing her to bare herself, to open her story up with confidence and creativity.

On showing pain on camera

“My leg wouldn’t accept the weight without a buckle, so dancing was a really big question. That was really hard for me to show, and I actually took a break from the filming at that moment. I needed to get some epidurals in my back and I just was like, “I just need some space.” … I had the cameras leave, because that was just too much for me to show that I couldn’t walk.” states, Wendy Whelan.

Wendy Whelan documents her journey of injury to recovery. Like many athletes who suffer an injury she was faced with “the what now” decision. Wendy was able to go from ballet to contemporary dance.

I felt slowly like … I am now me, and you’re seeing me, the goofy Wendy. I’m not trying to be who you all thought I was for so long. I’m just this girl. I jumped like a little kid a little bit, and I had bad posture and I was walking like a normal person in my bows and I’m like, yep, I’m just a human being and I’ve been this the whole time, but I haven’t been able to show it. Listen to the full interview here.

Like most athletes, most dance careers can last up to 20 years. Some people, as seen with Wendy Whelan, continue dancing until their early 40s or later, and some people have to retire earlier than age 34 because of an injury.

An serious injury can end an athletes or dancer’s career. Because of the risk involved, it is important to work for a company that has worker’s compensation insurance.

Have you been living with chronic pain? Well repeat after me its a New Year, it’s a new me, pain free! It’s 2018, a New Year, and time for a change if you’ve been suffering from chronic pain. Time to set some healthy lifestyle goals with a little help from your local pain specialists.

Follow these simple steps to start a healthier happier pain free life.

Step 1: Start Walking / Exercise

Get circulating. Walking and exercise is said to reduce inflammation, strengthen muscles, and provide healing by sending oxygen-rich blood to the painful area. Follow these steps Workout, rest, recover, repeat.

Step 2: When it’s time to sleep – go to sleep

Do you watch TV or are you on your phone before going to bed? Shut off that TV. Put those electronics away. Start counting sheep. You don’t need distractions. Turn off the lights and go to sleep. Studies have shown that sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions.

Step 3: If you smoke – STOP

Studies have shown that smokers experience pain more frequently than non-smokers.

Quitting smoking can help most of the major parts of your body: from your brain to your DNA.

Quitting smoking can re-wire your brain and help break the cycle of addiction. …

Lungs. Stop lung damage. …

Blood and the Immune System. Normal white blood cell count.

Step 4: Sit at work often – stand up often

Sitting is the new smoking. Studies show that sitting for long periods of time can cause chronic back pain and neck pain. So stand up and walk. Standing and walking (extension) can minimize the available space along your spine and crowd exiting nerve roots.

Have you been living with chronic pain? Well repeat after me its a New Year, it’s a new me, pain free!

Winter Joint Pain – Got Questions?

Joint pain in the winter should be of no surprise really. Studies show that the cold out there is frightful especially to joints causing aches and pains. The freezing temperatures in the winter causes our muscle tissues to expand and possibly put pressure on our joints causing irritation, stiffness and swelling, which can aggravate our nerves resulting in pain.

Cold Weather and Joint Pain, Predictable

Why do my joints hurt when it’s cold?

Why does my body ache in cold weather?

Why do joints hurt when weather changes?

Why do people with arthritis ache when it rains?

Individuals suffering joint pain will immediately assume they’re experiencing some sort of injury. Not necessarily. Runners for instance will experience joint pain when running during the winter season. Cold weather has been know to cause joint aches and pains.

“Pain in the knees, for example is a common complaint among athletes and weekend warrior patients, especially in cold winter seasons,” say’s Dr. Michael Monfett, MD a New York City pain specialist. “Joint pain occurs in the the knees, hips, and ankles. We see this complaint often among marathon runners who exercise outside in the cold.” add Dr. Monfett.

Avoiding those aches and pain would require certain measures to be taken before that run.

Properly warming up before working out.

Wearing appropriate clothing before going to be outside.

After a workout properly cool down.

Stretch after a workout.

Following these simple procedures will help with winter joint pain. If the joint pain worsens talk to a pain specialist / physical therapist to make sure you’re not injured.

“Joint pain doesn’t necessarily suggest an injury, but if the pain worsens, that may suggest injury,” says Says Dr. Monfett. “Remember that pain is your body’s warning system, and you need to listen to it,” Says Dr. Monfett. “Consistent joint pain could be the beginning signs of arthritis, and it is best to address it earlier on.” And of course, having joint pain or stiffness year-round—not just when the temps are low—is also a warning sign. “This could mean a structural problem in the knee cap or joint,” adds Dr. Monfett, and should be addressed by an expert.

A 2014 study of people with osteoarthritis (OA) published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders asked participants if and how weather influenced their pain. Of the 712 people who answered the survey, 469 (67%) said they were weather sensitive. It turns out that weather-sensitive people with OA experience more joint pain overall than their non-weather-sensitive counterparts.

A 2011 article published in European Journal of Pain found similar results in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The researchers looked at nine previously published studies of people with RA and concluded “pain in some individuals is more affected by the weather than in others, and that patients react in different ways to the weather.”

Joint pain can anytime throughout the year, but in the cold season of winter you may find it harder to cope with.

Patients with arthritis, neck pain or other types of musculoskeletal issues tend to report most weather-related pain. “Weather doesn’t seem to have as much effect on nerve pain, like complex regional pain syndrome or neuropathy. On top of that, cold weather can make it worse, causing muscles, ligaments and joints to get stiffer and more painful.

It’s better to be safe than sorry. If your pain persists past the cold season you may need to see your local sports medicine pain management physician.